Michigan State forward Branden Dawson will undergo surgery on a broken hand that will force him to miss 4-5 weeks.

Dawson’s absence is a huge loss for the Spartans. He’s a stout defender and rebounder, and his athleticism adds another dimension to the Spartans’ offense. And sadly, his injury seems to have been 100 percent avoidable.

Dawson says he was watching TV clips this morning with the team and got frustrated, slammed hand against table, suffering injury.

Considering Adreian Payne continues to battle a foot injury that has forced him to miss the past four games, and with point guard Keith Appling seen grimacing on the court during Tuesday’s win over Indiana (he has been battling shoulder problems), it’s clear that these Spartans are very much less than 100 percent.

“We come out of the North Carolina game (in December), I have four starters out of the next three practices," Izzo said. "Four. Never had that in my career. Everybody has one or two, but I’ve had three, four, and guys not practicing, and guys practicing half-speed, there’s no timing. So it’s been probably the most difficult, because I’ve seen how good we can be. And it makes it harder. There are guys who got it worse than me. But for this year, it’s probably been my hardest (with injuries).”

Dawson's injury timetable would put him back on the court in late February, which means the Spartans will be able to make a run through the conference tournament and NCAA Tournament with him. But will that be enough time to gel back into a cohesive unit?

We've seen how North Carolina's Leslie McDonald has struggled to blend back into the Tar Heels' rotation following his 9-game absence to start the season. With the one-and-done nature of March, the Spartans aren't leaving themselves with much, if any, cushion.

Dawson said he was reviewing film of the third-ranked Spartans' win over Indiana with teammates and coach Tom Izzo and became angry with his play of late.

"I know I haven't been playing how I know I can play and I got frustrated and slammed my hand against the table," Dawson said. "When Dr. (Jeff) Kovan told me how long I was going to be out, tears came down my eyes because this team is really important to me and I love Michigan State. I want to be a part of it, playing."